I don’t know about you, but I’m an early riser, and I have a pot off coffee on the go at 6.00am and go for a few top ups throughout the day. You need to know how to order coffee in Spain, so when faced with the variety of options presented you know what you are ordering.
If you find yourself in a busy Madrid bar during the morning rush, you will see waiters with tray full of various jugs. There’s cold milk, hot milk, warm milk, frothy milk, cups with ice. A number of options for all the different ways the Spanish like to have their coffees.
You might like coffee black, with milk, an espresso, with a splash of milk, short, tall, with a splash of baileys ! I mean the options are many. After living in Madrid for 10 years and being a great lover of coffee, I`d like to give you some guidance on how to order the perfect cup of coffee when in Spain.
Coffee Culture In Spain
When I first moved here I would just order black coffee all the time to not complicate things, but you get accustomed to it all pretty quick. It’s a big part of daily life after all, having a coffee and a pastry or a slice of Spanish tortilla before you start the day. Then you grab a quick one after lunch and maybe a sneak one in at the bar on the corner on the way home with a little shot of something stronger.
You will note when you order a coffee in Spain that it is a lot darker and a little more bitter than other countries. But it’s good strong coffee, and a splash of milk makes all the difference. There are a lot of specialty coffee shops in Madrid where you get to choose from different types of beans and roasts, but in the traditional Spanish bar they like it strong.
Depending on the time of day and the weather, there is also a preference for coffee. Early in the morning you might want a coffee with milk to accompany your toast and jam, then a short espresso after lunch to help you push power through the rest of the day. And after dinner, you might go for a ¨cortado¨ with a little Bailey’s to wind down the day.
No matter the the time of day or the setting, the is a coffee for every occasion and taste. It’s not just about the coffee, but the social interactions you have as well. It’s a great way to keep your mood high during the day, speak with friends and not just be isolated at work all day.
The coffee culture in Spain is embedded into daily life, and you should visit a few bars at different times of the day and order a few types of coffees and see what it’s all about first hand.
Different Types Of Coffees In Spain
If you are a die hard black coffee drinker, then you really want to go for espresso’s and Americano’s. I’m a black coffee drinker myself, but I also like mine with a touch of milk at times. So I think it’s actually helpful to have so many options, you can find the perfect balance for your own taste.
If you know exactly the type of coffee you want, you can just tell the waiter from the options I give you here, otherwise they will bring the coffee in a glass and you just choose the type of milk and how much of it you want.
-Coffees With No Milk
Cafe Solo:
A single shot of espresso is one of the most common types of coffee ordered in Spain. It comes in a small cup usually accompanied by a little biscuit, and they have it ready before you can get the change out your pocket.
Cafe Americano:
This one is the same format here as everywhere else in the world. Only that its not filtered coffee in most bars, but an espresso topped up with hot water.
-Coffees With Milk
Cafe Con Leche:
The most popular choice is a single shot of espresso mixed in a 1:1 ratio with steamed milk. It come in a glass and the milk gives the coffee more texture and a milder taste. You can get a free top up of milk if it’s too strong.
Cafe Cortado:
If you like your coffee strong, but just want a splash of milk to bolden the flavor, you can get an espresso with just a touch of milk. ¨Cortado¨ means cut, so you are cutting the flavor of coffee with a splash of milk.
Cafe Manchado:
This is the opposite of a cortado, with the glass being full of milk and you get a splash of coffee. You might not like the strong flavor of coffee, so you get a glass of warm milk with the mild flavor of some coffee.
Cafe Bonbon:
If you have a sweet tooth this ones for you. This usually comes in a little fancy glass cup to showcase the layers. The condensed milk sits at the bottom and the dark espresso on top giving it a pretty cool look.
-Coffees With Alcohol
Cafe Irlandes:
This is a shot of strong espresso with a shot of whisky, some whipped cream, sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It’s a really nice choice on a cold night.
Carajillo:
This is a really popular after dinner coffee. A string coffee with a shot of brandy, and a slice of lemon or orange.
Coffee With Ice
I really enjoy this option in the summer. You can basically order your coffee how you would normally would, and just ask for a cup of ice. If you simply ask for a coffee with ice ¨cafe con hielo¨, you will get an espresso in a cup and a glass of ice.
So as you can see, there are quite a few different options to choose from. But you can step out of these lines quite a bit. They are basically guidelines to ordering a coffee in Spain.
Want a shot of Baileys in your coffee? why not, whisky? of course. You want hot coffee with cold milk, no judgment. When it comes down to it, you can have pretty much whatever you want in whatever mixture you want.
Just don´t be shy, and know that no matter how odd you think your request is, the waiter has heard it before and will gladly oblige.
Ordering Coffee In Spain
When you order a coffee in Spain, if you don tell them the exact type of coffee you want, it will come in a glass, and the waiter will ask you how you want the milk.
The choices of milk are:
-Hot ¨caliente¨
-Cold ¨fria¨
-Warm ¨templada¨.
They will pour you as much milk as you want until you tell them to stop.
Here are a few other words good to have at hand:
¨En Una Taza¨ – In A Mug
¨Sin Azucar¨- Without Sugar
¨Saccharina¨ – Sweetener
Some people prefer to have their coffee in a mug, and you will have to ask the waiter when you order for a “taza”, or it will come in a glass. It’s not a strange request though so don’t feel out of place. If you order just a black coffee it comes in a small espresso cup.
Something that was not so normal until recent when you went to order a coffee in Spain was getting it take away. Drinking a coffee in Spain is not something done on the go very often. Having a coffee is taking a break, and this is done sitting at a bar, or out on one of the many terraces and enjoying a little time to yourself.
The more modern coffee shops always had the paper cups, and after the recent difficulties we went through, the traditional bars also started to offer take away coffee. So now you can get your favorite cup of joe take away from pretty much any bar.
Here are some common phrases you can use to order coffee in Spanish:
“Un café solo, por favor.” (A single shot of espresso, please.)
“Un café con leche, por favor.” (A coffee with milk, please.)
“Un café cortado, por favor.” (A coffee with a splash of milk, please.)
“Un café americano, por favor.” (An American-style coffee with hot water, please.)
“Un café con hielo, por favor.” (A coffee served over ice, please.)
“Un café bombón, por favor.” (A coffee bonbon, please.)
“Un carajillo, por favor.” (A coffee with a shot of brandy or whiskey, please.)
Faq’s on how to order coffee in Spain
What is the most common type of coffee in Spain?
The most common type of coffee ordered is the cafe con leche. A shot of espresso mixed at a 1:1 ration with milk.
What is the difference between café con leche and café cortado?
Cafe con leche is coffee mixed with equal amounts of steamed milk. A cortado is a strong espresso with just a splash of milk creating a much stronger, bolder coffee flavor.
How do I order a decaf coffee in Spain?
To order a decaf coffee in Spain, you just have to say ¨cafe descafeinado¨. Most cafes have the option, a lot of bars won’t, and a lot of the time it will be instant coffee.
How much does a cup of coffee cost in Spain?
In the average Spanish bar, a coffee will cost between €1.40-€2.00. But the prices will be a little more if you go to a sociality coffee shop or one of the main chains. In the center, in a nice bar, you still wouldn’t expect to pay more than €3-€5.
What do you eat with a coffee in Spain?
With an alcoholic drink you would expect to be serve da Tapas. In many places when you order a coffee, you will get a biscuit or a mini muffin, but the normal is to get a little pastry to accompany your coffee.
Is a cafe con leche like a latte?
I latte has more milk and is topped off with foam, but a cafe con leche will taste a little stringer that a latter. Just ask them to top up the milk if you need to.
Why is Spanish coffee bitter?
If you order coffee in a traditional Spanish bar, and you get it with no milk or sugar you will taste there is a distinct bitter taste. In the civil war they developed a method called ¨Torrefacto¨ to stretch the coffee beans by adding a little sugar to the beans in the final part of the roasting. The sugar is burnt on to the bean giving it the distinct bitter taste.
How do you order an iced coffee in Spain?
If you want an iced coffee, you just ask for a ¨cafe con hielo¨ (coffee with ice), nd they will give you a shot of espresso, and a glass full of ice. if you want it with milk, just order your coffee as normal, and ask for ¨un vaso de hielo¨ (a glass of ice).
Expresso macchiato equivalent in Spain
The most similar to this would be to order a ¨cortado¨.
How to order a double espresso in Spain?
To order a double espresso in one of the trendy coffee shops, you can ask for that, and in English too, they will understand. In a traditional Spanish bar, you want to ask for a ¨cafe doble¨(double coffee).
In Conclusion
So as you can see, it can be a pretty unique experience ordering coffee in Spain. From the short and bitter, to the milky and sweet, there is a type of coffee for everyone taste. If you are ordering something particular then using the correct terminology can be important, and I hope I gave you enough information to be able to ask for what you want.
Don´t be scared to try something new, they all have a different taste, and you never know what you might like. When in doubt, just ask for a coffee and milk, and when the milk arrive you can point at the one you want, or use some of the words I gave you in the article to ask for what you want.
I would really like to hear about your experiences, and any cool coffee joints you may have found. Please do share them in the comments section if you have the time.